APRIL 30, 2001

Button losing the limelight

JENSON BUTTON's move from Williams to Benetton this season has not only put him down to the back of the grid, but also out of his much loved press attention.

Button stunned the paddock last year in his debut season when he performed well in an improving Williams BMW. But his fall from stardom came as quickly as his rise to it, and he misses the buzz of interest and anticipation he once had.

"Of course I miss it," said Button on the fading of his spotlight. "It has been part of it all for all my first year and I think it is fun. I like it.

"There are not so many press boys around and not so many questions," he complained. "We are not getting as much pressure and it is slowing down."

Button, who finished eighth in the championship last year, has yet to score a point this season, and he is regularly qualifying below 16th place on the grid.

But the lull in performance and the drop in interest may in fact be a good building block for the career of the young star as it has given him time to sit back and learn for a while.

"But maybe it is a good thing because I can slow it down a bit," said Button. "This is the quietest time I have had in Formula One. I have always been in the thick of it all until now."